Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) in Japan has unveiled the 13 films that will play in this year’s competition line-up.
The festival, which takes place March 14-23, previously announced that Solider Of Love, from Kazakh director Farkhat Sharipov, will open the festival, while I Am Kirishima, directed by Takahashi Banmei, will play as the closing film.
The competition line-up includes recent festival favourites, including Chinese director Huo Xin’s Bound In Heaven and Busan New Currents winner The Land Of Morning Calm, directed by Korea’s Park Ri-woong, along with box office hits such as The Trophy Bride [PICTURED ABOVE] from Vietnam’s Vu Ngoc Dang.
Hong Kong films in competition include Jill Leong’s Last Song For You and Adam Wong’s The Way We Talk, both receiving their Japan premieres (see full list of competition films below).
Other sections in OAFF include Spotlight, which highlights new talent and trends across Asia, and will screen titles such as 404 Still Remain from Korea’s Uhm Ha-neul; Taiwanese filmmaker Julian Chou’s Blind Love; as well as And The Breadwinner Is…, directed by the Philippines’ Jun Robles Lana and starring Vice Ganda.
Indie Forum includes works from a trio of new Japanese directors: Okawara Megumi’s So Beautiful, Wonderful, And Lovely, Yanagi Asuna’s Rainy Blue and The Outsiders’ Club, from Nishizaki Hami.
Special programmes this year include Thai Cinema Kaleidoscope 2025, Special Focus on Hong Kong Films 2025 and Taiwan: Movies on the Move 2025. Special screenings include Pagtatag! The Documentary, which follows Filipino boyband SB19’s second world tour, and You Will Die In 6 Hours from Korea’s Lee Yun-Seok.
Osaka Asian Film Festival 2025 Competition Line-up:
Bikechess, dir: Assel Aushakimova (Kazakhstan, France, Norway) AP
Bound In Heaven, dir: Huo Xin (China) JP
Family Matters, dir: Pan Ke-Yin (Taiwan) WP
Flat Girls, dir: Jirassaya Wongsutin (Thailand) JP
Journey To Face Them, dir: Hwang In-Won (Korea) IP
The Land Of Morning Calm, dir: Park Ri-Woong (Korea) JP
Last Song For You, dir: Jill Leong (Hong Kong) JP
Saba, dir: Maksud Hossain (Bangladesh) JP [Sponsored By Kobe College]
Silent City Driver, dir: Janchivdorj Sengedorj (Mongolia) JP
The Trophy Bride, dir: Vu Ngoc Dang (Vietnam) JP
The Way We Talk, dir: Adam Wong Sau-Ping (Hong Kong) JP
Yen And Ai-Lee, dir: Tom Shu-Yu Lin (Taiwan) JP
Yoyogi Johnny, dir: Kimura Satoshi (Japan) WP